


Something Unrecognized

by wintercreek



Category: due South
Genre: Community: cliche_bingo, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-26
Updated: 2009-07-26
Packaged: 2017-10-05 17:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercreek/pseuds/wintercreek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't anyone's fault, precisely. If pressed, Benton would have said that this sort of thing was bound to happen occasionally. It certainly wasn't Elaine's fault, at least, and it probably wasn't Ray's either. Probably.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Unrecognized

**Author's Note:**

> For the "Imprisonment" square on my Cliche Bingo card.

It wasn't anyone's fault, precisely. If pressed, Benton would have said that this sort of thing was bound to happen occasionally. It certainly wasn't Elaine's fault, at least, and it probably wasn't Ray's either. Probably.

Ray had wanted a night out to celebrate Elaine's acceptance into the police academy, and Benton had agreed, of course. Sadly, only they two had been available that evening. Elaine hadn't seemed to mind.

It wasn't dinner out, as Benton had been expecting. Ray wanted to go dancing. "C'mon, I know this place and it's _great_. Good music, cheap cover, and we never had to bust them when I was working Vice. Thursday night, shouldn't be too crowded. Benny, you gotta wear something that's not the big red suit. And no flannel! Maybe you should come home with me and see what Tony has to borrow."

Elaine had stifled giggles behind her hand until Ray turned to her. "And you! Wear something slinky, okay?"

"Okay, Ray," she'd said, grinning. "Eight o'clock?"

"Eight o'clock. This'll be great." He'd returned her look.

Fraser had smiled helplessly at both of them, pleased by Elaine's accomplishment and the anticipation of an evening out.

It hadn't turned out to be quite the evening he'd anticipated. In fact, he suspected that it wasn't the evening Elaine anticipated either. Shifting in his seat, Benton considered both of them. Elaine's slinky dress was somewhat the worse for wear, but as she had effected some repairs she was more or less decent. Ray's shirt had been torn and was missing one sleeve; unfairly, his pants had escaped all damage and were perfectly intact. And Benton himself was now dressed perfectly well, thanks to the kind loan of replacement clothing. It wasn't his color or style of outfit, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Ray had driven them to a club, narrating all the while, and when they'd stepped inside it had seemed a promising place. Excessively loud music and filled by people who were rapidly becoming intoxicated, of course, but that seemed fairly typical for Chicago. Benton had declined the opportunity to dance with Ray, yielding that to Elaine. Really, it had all been going so well.

After eleven, Elaine had sighed and told them that it was time to end their evening. "You two may be able to stay up all night, but I need some sleep before tomorrow." She touched Ray's arm as she added, "Ray, it's been lovely. Thank you so much for this. You too, Fraser."

Benton had nodded and reached to open the door for her, and that was when it had first turned wrong. He hadn't noticed the locking mechanism on the heavy door catching in his borrowed shirt. Elaine had stepped through, then Ray. When Benton moved to follow he had heard his shirt rip. Startled, he'd let go of the door, which had fallen closed and torn the fabric in the other direction. "Oh dear," he'd said softly.

Elaine had pushed the door open and come back to see why he hadn't followed them; there had been no way for her to know that the door would catch Benton in the nose. "Oh! Fraser, I'm so sorry!" she'd cried.

Benton had pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he'd dripped blood on Tony's shirt but unable to muster much concern about it. "Id okay, Elaine. You didn't bean to." He'd tilted his head back.

"I'll get you some ice," she'd said, squeezing his shoulder as she passed. Benton had seen the corkscrew in the man's hand at the edge of the bar, but not in time to warn her. Her dress had caught and the silky fabric had parted in one smooth line along the bottom of her rib cage. Elaine, showing her mettle under fire, had merely pressed her lips together and continued on in her quest for ice.

At least, Benton reflected, his nose had stopped bleeding before things had gotten truly ugly. And Ray _had_ caught him when he'd nearly fainted. It was a shame about his shirt, but there had been no way Benton, vision fading and knees buckling, could have anticipated that his sleeve would give way altogether when clutched like that. Really, Ray had escaped most of the wardrobe misfortune of the evening.

Elaine had returned, smelling strongly of beer with the left side of her hair dripping. When Benton had brought his head down to face her, he'd suddenly seen stars and reached for the nearest upright support. It had been Ray, re-entering the club to see what was keeping them, and his sleeve had been the next casualty of the evening.

"What is going on here?" Ray'd asked, wrapping his other arm around Benton to hold him up.

"Don't ask," Elaine had replied, rolling her eyes. "If I tell you about it, I'll wind up saying something like 'This can't possibly get worse' - and then it will."

Benton supposed that even the hypothetical use of such a phrase was sufficient to tempt the gods of mischief, because that was when a man approached them, began to apologize to Elaine for drenching her with beer, and then turned and vomited rather impressively on Benton's legs and feet. Ray had jumped back, Elaine had reached in to support Benton, and the tear in Elaine's dress had widened significantly.

"Okay, that's it. We're going outside," Ray had announced. "You, you're staying here. No need to apologize to any of us. C'mon Elaine, Benny."

Outside it had been apparent that Benton couldn't enter the Riv in his current condition. Ray's solution had been to discard the soiled pants and ruined shirt in the alley near the club. Predictably, after Benton had removed both shirt and trousers with Elaine's assistance and Ray's supervision, a bright spotlight had lit the alley like day. "Chicago PD, Vice squad. Please keep your hands where I can see 'em and step over to the police car."

The officer in the blue and white had been most apologetic as he'd driven them to the nearest station; he was new and reluctant to take any action without the order of the detective whose bust it was. And so here they sat in a holding cell, Benton in a tasteless orange jumpsuit left over from supplying the area's prisons.

"I'm sure we can straighten this out in no time, Elaine," Ray was saying.

Elaine, her face buried in her hands, moaned, "I hope so. I didn't get into the police academy just to get expelled on a prostitution charge." She lifted her head. "Especially since I'm not a prostitute. They probably think you're my pimp," she added, pointing at Ray, "since you were the most clothed of any of us. Ugh."

"Hey!" Ray looked offended. "I happen to think I could make a very nice pimp, if I weren't one of Chicago's finest. Benny, back me up!"

Benton sighed. "I think it's best I don't enter this discussion, Ray."

Laughing, Elaine stood up and looked out of their cell. "Well, since no one's coming to let us out, I guess we're doing a bit of time. I think I might as well do the crime." She checked that her dress was holding together and added, "Um, not the actual crime, of course. But. It's my party, right?"

Ray nodded. Elaine walked over to him, hips swinging in her slinky dress, and paused in front of him to whisper, "Okay?" When Ray nodded again, smiling softly, Elaine leaned down and kissed him.

It really wasn't fair that after suffering all the indignities of this evening Benton now had to watch two people, either of whom he'd be happy to kiss under the right circumstances, kissing each other. Attaining the level of comfort he felt with Ray was no small thing, but Elaine was nearing it herself - with him, that was. And apparently with Ray as well. Benton sighed again, as quietly as he could manage.

Elaine broke off her kiss with Ray and turned to Benton. "I heard that sigh," she said. "Can I ask what prompted it?"

Benton flushed. "Ah, well, it's been a rather long evening and I find myself somewhat fatigued..." he trailed off.

"Uh huh." Elaine sounded skeptical.

Ray did as well when he added, "Yeah, sure. So, Benny, you wanna kiss one of us?"

Before he could stop himself, Benton blurted out, "Only one?"

Elaine chuckled and Ray's eyebrows rose. "I guess not," Ray replied. And just like that, the evening turned from disastrous to marvelous. To Benton's astonishment, Ray, who must also have been feeling very comfortable in this company, did a quick check out the front of the holding cell and then kissed Benton very thoroughly. When he surfaced for air, Elaine pushed him lightly aside and took her turn.

Benton found that three people was an ideal number for this sort of situation. Two could occupy themselves pleasurably while a third kept watch. It wouldn't do for them to be caught in a position of impropriety, but it also seemed unnecessarily abstemious not to continue their activity now that they had begun. It passed the time quite nicely.

When the vice detective finally appeared, Elaine leaned in and quietly said, "Once we're out of here, want to take this back to my place?"

Possibly it was the alcohol, or the rather extraordinary combination of circumstances, or just something that had been building unrecognized for some time, but the only thing Benton could do was look to Ray for confirmation before both of them murmured, "Yes."


End file.
